Unto Legend
by Andrithir
Summary: Go Unto Reclamation
1. Crashlanding

**A/N: A wacky idea I just cooked up…**

**XXxxXX**

"_We are Reclaimers, guardians of the galaxy, upholders of the mantle that had been passed to us from the Forerunners. For untold eons we have guided those in our keep, and like the eras before ours, civilisations prospered. Then came the day we all feared would come. Like the Forerunners, our hands were forced to a fate, in which we were to… recede."  
__**-Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, moments before his death, and the Fall of Humanity**_

**XXxxXX**

**ABOARD **_**NORMANDY SR-2**_**, UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Commander Emma Shepard sighed, brushing aside a lock of her brown hair. She was still in full armour, escaping from the Collector Base had been hell, she managed to get everyone through safely, but now the aftermath was beginning to sink in. Everyone just felt tired and hit a bar at the Citadel. But drinking was far from Emma's mind as EDI uttered those words no one wanted to hear.

"Shepard, we are dead in the water. Engines are not responding. We are on a collision course."

Emma gripped onto Joker's seat; her deep brown eyes gazed at the planet that lay ahead of them.

"I need info on that planet EDI," Shepard ordered.

"Scanning," the unshackled AI said, "it appears to be artificial."

Joker coughed. "What? EDI are you sure."

"Very, Jeff," the AI answered.

A holographic readout of the planet appeared over the console. Emma stared at it intently. The planet's surface was made out of a metal alloy, and it was perfectly round.

_How the fuck do you get a metal planet like that?_ Shepard's mind screamed.

"Mathematical calculations and scans, show that this planet is a perfect sphere," EDI informed. "it's radius is exactly one-thousand kilometres, and it's gravity field is equal to Earth's."

"The fuck?" Emma muttered.

"Commander?" It was Engineer Gabrielle Daniels, "no such luck on getting the engines to work again."

"Get to bracing positions Gabby," Shepard said over the ship's intercom. "EDI, drop a distress…"

Emma fell back as the ship suddenly lurched forward.

"Status report!" Shepard barked.

"We are caught in a gravity well, Shepard," EDI said, "I am losing control of all systems."

"Everyone get to the escape pods!" Emma ordered.

The alarms throughout the stealth frigate began to blare, prompting everyone to run towards the lifeboats. But a blue light swept throughout the ship. Emma shielded her face as it washed over her, but to her immense relief and horror, it didn't kill anyone but fried the systems instead.

Joker leaned back into his seat and sighed, "Into hell we go!"

…

**INSIDE UNIDENTIFIED PLANET**

The crash could've gone worst, there were only a few broken bones, most of which belonged to Joker.

"EDI?" Shepard called. "EDI do you read?"

"Systems out cold, Commander," the Flight Lieutenant said worriedly.

"Stay here," Emma ordered.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jeff groaned.

Shepard sprinted out of the cockpit and down the hallway, all the systems were dead, only non-electrical lighting illuminated the way. The Spectre quickly rounded her team, and divided it in half.

"Kasumi, Mordin, Tali, Jacob and Miranda, you guys stay here and guard the ship. Our COMs are out so shoot a flare to tell me if you want me to get back."

"Got it, Commander," Lawson said.

"Garrus, Grunt, Legion, Zaeed and Samara with me, we'll need to scout this place out."

Loading up on whatever weapon was functional, Emma herded her team out of the side door. Wrenching the slab of metal open, Emma gave a quick whistle at the view. It looked like something out of a fantasy film, gold and red leaves, green grass and spectacular land formations with running water. Trigonometric shaped towers filled the sky, floating in mid-air, supported by nothing.

"So this is the inside of a planet, huh?" Garrus said.

"EDI said it's artificial," Shepard stated.

"The chances of this environment being artificial is very high," Legion said, "we detect an artificial sun."

"Damn impressive," Zaeed said, sounding though as if he couldn't care less, "now let's find a bloody way out of here."

**XXXxxXX**

"_We have lost so much. But maybe we can rebuild."  
__**-LTCOL Doctor Essingdon Dominic Keyes, talking to Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, about reseeding protocols.**_


	2. The Librarian

**A/N: Careful tender and joy went into this piece.**

**XXxxXX**

"_I have watched the humans grow and prosper. And in time, took over the mantel. They surpassed us in grace, wisdom and kindness. The galaxy and those which lie beyond prospered under their guidance. Never, have I seen a culture so rich and full of life. But when their empire fell, so much more than the galaxy was lost. The candles of untold civilisations vanished as the Reclaimers were forced to recede."  
__**-The Librarian, referring to humanity's ascendancy to Tier 0**_

**XXxxXX**

**INSIDE UNIDENTIFIED PLANET**

There was something _spiritual_ about this place. Emma could feel its calming aurora in the air. She could hear distant birds cry, and the soft songs of the water fall.

"Shepard-Commander, we are detecting movement," Legion warned.

Emma wasn't too sure how the geth survived, but she was glad that he did. "What direction."

"All around us."

In an instant, the search party had their customised Mattock rifles raised. They merged into a rough delta pattern, as they heard the footsteps grow louder.

"What the fuck are those?" Zaeed said slowly. Grunt just simply growled.

Dozens of humanoid _things_ just appeared out of nothingness. Glowing blue petals came from nowhere, and coalesced into these _things_. Some of them stood on the thick vine covered branches, others stood amongst the foliage.

Emma stared them in awe, and felt her body fill with fear. They were so alien, yet uncannily familiar. They had eyes devoid of life, but filled with the weariness of man. They were like insects, but were humanoid too. The stood apart from the Collectors, and were more machine than life. Most were adorned with the age old orange glow, while others shimmered with blue. Upon one arm, they wielded a menacing hard-light blade.

"Orders Shepard," Garrus said calmly, training his Viper Sniper Rifle on one of the androids.

Shepard analysed them closely, their stance were defensive, not offensive.

"Calm yourself," an aged, but young woman voice said.

Like the ways how the machines appeared, a humanoid form came into being. She seemed to float above the grass, her turquoise robes fluttering in the breeze. Her skin was more consistent in texture than that of a human. Her eyes were weary but welcoming, though she had no nose, but two snake-like slits instead.

Emma gestured towards her team to lower their weapons. It always amazed her how they trusted her judgement so quickly, even if she was unsure of herself. She slowly shifted from one foot to the other, gauging this being.

"Who are you?" Shepard asked cautiously.

"I am The Librarian," the being smiled.

"What species?"

Emma wasn't too sure on how to handle this. She was encountering a new species; one that possible very well built this artificial world.

"I am a Forerunner, the former custodians of this galaxy."

Shepard's eyes widened at this revelation, she could say the same for her team.

"What happened?"

"Like all Empires that refuse to change, refuses to adapt, and refuses to forgive, we fell," she answered cryptically.

"So what is this place?" Shepard looked around.

"The Last Reclaimer's Requiem," The Librarian answered. "The others have left for distant galaxies a long time ago. Come with me, I will take you to him."

Emma frowned. She had a downed ship, an AI that wouldn't respond, an encounter with an ancient species, which had been superseded by another to the point of intergalactic travel, and she was stuck in an artificial world. It could all be summed up with what was going through her head at the moment. _What the flying fuck?_

"Your ship will be restored," The Librarian said, answering the unanswered question. "You are safe here."

"I wouldn't call a crashlanding, safe," Zaeed growled.

"Those were automated systems that I had no control over," The Librarian explained. "For whatever it is worth, you have my word that you will not be harmed."

Emma pondered on her situation, before giving orders to her team. "Grunt, Zaeed, get back to the _Normandy_ and tell them of what's going on."

"Got it Shepard," Zaeed complied.

The Librarian summoned a gondola out of nothingness, something Emma knew she wouldn't get use to anytime soon. Overhead, numerous construction machines soared towards the downed ship, in order to commence repairs.

"Is it just me, or do I find it odd that an ancient civilisation speaks in a language that we all understand," Garrus said.

"English," The Librarian said, "it is an old language, something the Reclaimers preserved after they left."

"Why is there only one left?" Shepard asked. "And how does humanity know another specie's language unless…" then the shocking realisation hit her. "The Reclaimers were once us?"

Garrus practically choked. Legion remained quiet.

"I will have the him explain everything to you. Humanity's journey has been arduous and filled with insurmountable grief. But they managed to reach to the stars and forge an empire."

A mist of dreamlike images washed over the gondola, immersing Shepard into the world of humanity a very long time ago. Emma watched as her distant ancestors took to the stars by learning the secrets of the ancient Precursor race. She saw how violent humanity was, ruthless in their conquest of expansion.

"Your ancestors were brutal, we thought you were expanding. But you weren't, you were running, and protecting the galaxy of a dark fate."

Shepard's blood ran cold at the statement. How something so powerful, could be brought down to their knees. What could possibly drive humanity to ruthlessly claim countless star systems?

"The Flood, you, your ancestors had taken it upon themselves to do whatever it was necessary to purge the galaxy of this threat. Without warning, your kind would set fire to untold worlds, in order to stop the parasite from feeding."

_Absolutely ruthless_, Emma thought.

"My husband, The Didact, responded," The Librarian continued.

Images of war flooded the air. Warriors of both races clashed on the battlefields and in space. Emma just stood there, stunned by the revelations. One thing was clear though, humanity was losing.

"Unable to fight on two fronts, humanity crumbled," The Librarian said sadly, "And as a final punishment, you were stripped of your accomplishments."

Emma watched as the images of man living in huts washed around her.

"I wished that through my guidance, that humanity could rise again, and be better than before. But with your ancestors no longer holding back the Flood, it was time for the Forerunners to fight the parasite."

Images of war and despair flowed. Deformed beings that held great elegance, fought against what was once their own. And then the ultimate revelation of the origins of the machines that stood around her. The Prometheans were once humans _called_ upon to defend the galaxy.

"But even we could not stand against the Flood, and were forced to purge the galaxy of all life."

Tears slowly welled in Emma's eyes. The Reapers were nothing compared to this horrendous onslaught. The Flood grew smarter with everyone they assimilated. With no available option left, the Forerunners fired the Halo array, and then reseeded the galaxy.

_So much information!_ Shepard's mind screamed._ Her mind was numb from the realisation. She had no proof that it was real, but her instincts screamed that it was the truth._

"I wished for humanity to be strong again, but to my dismay. What we left behind for you, others took and misinterpret," The Librarian said sadly, "from the ashes your ancestors took to the stars. They had formed a new social order, a new way of governing and culture. They believed they had reached a golden age of peace and prosperity, but out of the darkness, old feuds rose and tensions spilt, the governing body of humanity was at war with its dissidents"

The memories that came, humanity looked remarkably similar to the Alliance, but there was something missing. There was no Mass Effect Technology. No Prothean Archives founded on Mars. Shepard watched the fighting between the UNSC and the Insurrectionists. The Alliance never suffered anything like this, sure there was Cerberus, but they didn't outright attack civilian populations like what she was seeing now; suicide bombers bringing down massive buildings, an idyllic shopping mall being turned into a warzone, and civilians running for their lives.

"The divide amongst your ancestors were becoming violent, and in order to save mankind from premature destruction, a new breed of warriors were created."

_Supersoldiers_, Emma thought. She quickly noted how humanity was being addressed by The Librarian. It was like the current and the fallen were one and two different things.

"Those misguided by that which we had left behind for your ancestors, came to attack humanity," The Librarian said.

Memories of the Human-Covenant War roared across the field like fire. Humanity was woefully outmatched, outnumbered and outgunned. But the Supersoldiers they had bred levelled the battlefield, though there weren't enough of them to turn the tide of war. Aliens that towered over krogans wielded menacing energy weapons, which tore through the human ranks with ease.

"Your ancestors found our creation in the end. The Sangheili were disillusioned from the misguided lies they were fed, and joined humanity. In the end, your ancestors won, and was due in no small part to the one referred to as John One-one-seven."

Shepard gazed at the towering green armoured human; he looked like a Greek god. His movements were so fluid and so precise that it was beyond human. Emma watched as John struggled across the vast expanse of Requiem and his fight against The Didact. She noticed how lifelike his AI companion was, and was amazed by her ability to forge such strong bonds.

"And when everything had settled, your Ancestors, the Reclaimers, laboured, and expanded beyond the galaxy. The kept their domain from drifting apart by creating neural networks across intergalactic space, allowing countless of species to experience a rare moment in the life of this universe."

Countless images of prospering civilisations drifted by, families grew up happily, while the Reclaimers gained so much in wisdom and knowledge.

_Humanity grew that far?_

"But then the Flood returned," The Librarian said, "they had expanded, evolved and what was thought as a parasite of life became the parasite of machine and worlds. The Reclaimers fought a losing battle, and galaxy after galaxy, fell to the Flood onslaught. The Array could not contain the Flood as they had found means to escape its purge."

Emma gazed upon the tablets of memories of the Halos firing again, and again, and again.

"In one last final effort, The Reclaimers used their knowledge to transcend across dimensions. John One-one-seven, stayed behind so that when the day comes, he may restore the known to its former glory."

Shepard was stunned for words, while Garrus just starred wide-eyed. So much knowledge, so much potential, and all the answers, lay with this one man.

The gondola slowly pulled into a massive hangar bay. It had reflective grey walls, bright lights, and filled with sleek aerial vehicles. On the walls it read _UNSC SUPREMACY_.

"Here we go," Garrus muttered.

"Here we go indeed," Emma agreed. Her mind had practically numbed at the revelations of what she had just learnt. Suddenly the future looked that all the brighter, albeit darker. There were so many questions she wanted to ask this John-117.

_He sounds like military hardware than a human_, Emma pondered.

**XXxxXX**

"_With the fall of the neural network, galaxies began to spiral out of control. Deus Spera collided with Hortem, destroying countless races (notable races include);  
DSM-T2  
DSR-T4  
HM-T2  
HR-T1  
HR-T2_

_Mum, I never thought it would end this way."  
__**-Extract of LTCOL Doctor Essingdon Dominic Keyes's email to Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey**_

**XXxxXX**

**A/N: Can I break out of the prison of pseudo-realism writing prison that I have casted myself in? Or have I imposed a standard upon of writing and genre that I must forever uphold?**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**To hell with it! This story is going to be a wank-fest/stomp fest! Ah who am I kidding? I'd rather write about **_**Twilight**_** before doing that. Seriously, there are way too many Halo/ME Xover Stories which are purely wank/stomp-fest. Then again, could my cherished **_**Lost Legacy**_** be that kind of story?**

… **My god… it is a friggin wank/stomp-fest story! I must take it down and go into a self-imposed exile!**

**As always, please review.**


	3. Awakening

**A/N: And we're back! As you've noticed I have changed the title as I felt it did not suit the story.**

**XXxxXX**

"_Humans have always been stronger, faster, and taller than the common brethren in the galaxy. Our scale of evolution indicates a missing link in our history. If we were to base our supposed physical capabilities with our current technological advancement and juxtapose them upon ancient remains, we should be about the height of the asari, and strength comparable to the turians. However, we are taller than turians and stronger than them by far… why is that?"  
__**-Extract from **_**History of Man Volume XII Edition II **_**by Professor Samantha Eldridge**_

**XXxxXX**

**INSIDE THE SHIELD WORLD, GALACTIC CORE**

Samara had been quiet for the entire trip, but Emma could sense the Asari's grief and despair. The Justicar had devoted her life to a code that demanded absolute selflessness, devoted her to a cause that was almost fleeting. For her to see such destruction and despair, Shepard could only imagine.

The Librarian led the small entourage through the vast corridors and hallways, until the finally reached a large cavernous room. Blue lances seethed out from symmetrical and corresponding positions, illuminating the amalgamation of plant life, metal and water.

In the centre of the room, was a large sphere which pulsed like a mass effect drive core. Blue seams ran along it in straight angular fashion. Beneath was a platform which stretched from the suspended base, to the balcony Shepard stood upon.

"If you're companions could remain here," the Librarian said, "That would be best."

Shepard quickly mulled this over, she didn't have much of a choice, and if the Forerunner wanted to kill her, she would've done so now.

"Okay, Garrus, Samara, Legion, stay here."

A collection of nods and answers were given, all indicating that the command was obeyed. They would all follow Shepard into hell, and trust in her judgement, because in the end, she was always right.

Walking down the metal bridge that seemed to materialise its extensions out of blue petals, Emma felt oddly at home. She didn't feel scared like she'd expected to, just clarity and a sense of closure. There was an underlying concern, but such thoughts about the future were put aside with the threat of the Reapers bearing down on them. There was no point in worrying about future impeding dooms when there was one just around the corner.

Despite the utilitarian design of the room, the blue lattices of hardlight, polished walls, plants and water features, the place looked, _homey_. Emma could picture the area filled by people moving about with a purpose. In fact, she could picture the entire ship being filled with life. That was how intricate the memories were, how detailed they were.

Upon arriving at a pulsing hardlight console, the Librarian spoke again. "Please activate the panel, it is keyed towards human DNA."

Emma hovered her hand above the panel, suddenly unsure if this was a good idea. But she weighed her choices again. She had a downed ship with an unresponsive AI, on or rather inside an unknown planet. There weren't that many options available.

She pressed her palm onto the hardlight surface and watched it pulse. There large sphere began to rumble, the lights that an along the seams throbbed, dispersing wisps of ionised air.

This was it, humanity's long dormant secret was about to breathe anew once more. She felt like she was going to meet a god, a titan, no, an Olympian amongst men.

Slowly, the bottom section of the sphere parted open like a blossoming flower.

A tall figure, clad in black slowly descended from the sphere. He was suspended in the air, but only temporarily until a circular platform materialised in a wave of blue petals beneath him. As his feet touched down onto the metal surface, the platform hummed quietly as it brought the John-117 to Shepard.

When the circular disk docked gently on the bridge, Emma could still see that the Spartan had his eyes closed. The black body suit looked like padded semi-flexible armour, obscuring a large amount of him. She ran her gaze along the contours of his body. He was we built with a physique both optimised for speed and strength.

John slowly stood up for his kneeling position, and opened his azure blue eyes. He turned his gaze towards the Librarian.

"It is time, John," she said in a motherly tone.

The Spartan gave a curt nod and turned to face Shepard. He bored his gaze down on her, assessing her. But his eyes were soft and welcoming, but wearing, yet they lacked the hostile glare that Emma expected. May be it was because he knew of her intentions and didn't feel the need to intimidate her. Regardless, Emma felt pretty intimidated by his presence, he towered over her by at least a feet.

"Commander Emma Amberley Shepard," she said, taking a step forward. She had to show him that she was not afraid of him, that she and humanity was _worthy_ of his help.

"Commander John One-One-Seven," the Spartan said, giving her a curt nod.

He was surprisingly, very human. Emma had expected some kind of detached human being, but from the way he moved to the way he looked at her, he was still human. Shepard gazed across his face; he had a high forehead, short neat brown hair, a rugged jawline and high cheekbones. It was a surprisingly young face, but that was expected considering the technological advancement of "ancient" humanity. However, despite how attractive, youthful and reassuring his face was, it struggled to hide the age old weariness that accompanied him.

"What is the situation?"

"I have a crashed ship inside _your _planet, and… I need your help," Shepard said bluntly.

"We'll see what we can do," the Spartan said.

"Also, aside from the Librarian… are you the only person here?"

"Yes," John answered.

**XXxxXX**

When everyone had seen the Spartan, to say that they were surprised was a severe understatement. Emma had watched John be bombarded with awe from most of the human crew. Standing at a cliff side, Shepard noted how Miranda continually sized up the Spartan, evaluating what he could do. She also noted that the former Cerberus Operative stood between the two Commanders in a defensive stance. It wasn't necessary, but Emma appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

He wasn't in his armour, no, his body suit had morphed into UNSC Officer's Standard Dress. A dark grey standing collar "suit" trimmed in gold to signify rank, with ultra-light armour vest, shoulder pads, gloves and a thigh holster for a sidearm. He looked surprisingly contemporary considering how "old" the clothing style would be.

A low hum alerted Shepard to the sight of the massive angular and streamlined grey ship, hovering overhead. It was the _Supremacy_, lit by the artificial sun within the planet. Emma wondered how much power the ship had at its disposal, it was approximately seven kilometres long and its main gun ran along the entire length.

"Thing of beauty," Jacob commented. "Hard to believe it barely has a crew."

Swarms of sleek chrome Promethean Knights, shrouded in cobalt soared from the hold of the ship, and touched down around the Spartan. These ones looked far more human than the first, but just as impressive and fearsome. They lacked the bulbous back section; instead it was replaced with thruster packs and a light rear defence weapon. Their arms were massive but slender enough to have five digits, and infused weaponry for various range and melee encounters.

These Promethean Knights were his own personal armour, old as time itself. They were once human, now repurposed to no more than just machine. Shepard was too sure on how she felt about that, to have a person's humanity taken away from them. But right now, she'd just accept that fact and move on. The past is the past, and the future remained unclear.

The Spartan issued a few orders to the Promethean before turning to walk to Shepard.

"So what's the story so far?" he asked neutrally.

Emma turned her gaze to his ageless face, tucking a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear and spoke. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

John gave a look which effectively said, 'try me.'

Shepard gave a small sigh. "Okay, humanity joins the Council, a conglomerate of 'civilised and lawful' people," she said, forming the quotation symbols in the air. "The Council has an elite task force that only answers to them called Special Tactics and Recons, i.e. Spectres. I'm one of them. Long story short, I've been running my ass ragged around the galaxy to stop an extragalactic threat called the Reapers."

The Spartan raised his eyebrows at that one. Extragalactic threats always had a habit of being… _messy_ to deal with.

"Barely anyone believes in the Reaper threat, and those who do, can't really do much," Emma continued. "Shit's hit the fan, and no one's getting the paper."

John gave a small shrug to indicate his acceptance of her story.

"Well, I've guess you've seen worse."

A curt nod was her answer.

"Not much of a talker, aren't you?"

"Only when I need to make a point."

"Right."

Emma turned her sights back on her ship being rapidly repaired by sentinels; it served as a distraction until she could find somewhere to sit down without her armour. Seriously, it was getting stuffy inside because the Collector Base fragged a lot of systems.

"John," the Librarian called as she glided down from the skies, "it is time to leave. I have activated the beacon; it is only a matter of time before your own returns."

The Spartan gave a nod of acknowledgement before pivoting back to Shepard. "You're ship will be taken to _Supremacy_ if you wish to accompany us."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Joker interrupted, "Commander, can I just point out how… _fucked_ up this situation seems to be?"

Emma's eyes darted back and forth between the Spartan and her Flight Lieutenant. John seemed unaffected by Jeff's blatant statement.

"Joker, what choice do we have?" Shepard chided.

"The whole blue wave of EMP is disturbing, EDI is even back online yet!" Joker said loudly. He doubled over, wincing in pain as he felt his chest light on fire. Shepard quickly ran over to him.

"Easy, Joker!" Emma gently eased the pilot onto the grass, under the shade of a tree with golden leaves.

"There was an EMP?" the Spartan asked, surprised.

"This installation has no external sensors in order to reduce digital and energy signatures, it is a lockdown bunker, not a fortress," the Librarian said, concerned.

"Prepare _Supremacy_," John ordered, switching to full tactical, "something's wrong."

**XXxxXX**

**ABOARD UNSC **_**SUPREMACY**_**, COMMAND AND CONTROL DECK**

Everyone's scepticism was duly noted by Emma. The fact that a visible blue EMP like wave that came from the planet was highly suspicious, but just as she reasoned before, if they wanted to kill her, they would've done so already. Still, it did little to sooth everyone's nerves.

Looking around the deck, Shepard found an empty seat and sat down. The bridge was very utilitarian; most of the consoles were laid out in an angular pattern, rather than having the curvature layout of Alliance Ships. However, the walls and ceilings were contoured, illuminated with a soft blue glow and white lights, giving a bit of flamboyance to an otherwise dull place.

John walked to the central control panel, while Promethean Knights manned their stations. Shepard knew that this moment was history in the making, but it was surprisingly anti-climactic.

She felt the ship rumble as the engines flared, and noticed that John had uttered a single word. She highlighted how he had his hands on the console, and realised that he was controlling the ship through neural implants.

_Impressive, _she said inwardly. Apparently Joker was thinking the same thing too.

"Regardless what I said earlier, that's pretty cool."

Prometheans kept to their stations, and monitored the ship's functions. Emma's gaze on her team made sure that they would belt up and suck up any issues they had. Tensions were high, and nerves were near the ends, the aftermath of coming out of a suicidal mission. A bit of R'n'R sounded really appealing to Shepard.

"Shield world, opening," the Librarian said.

Emma looked at the central holographic display and could see a segment of the planet opening like a flower. _Supremacy_ soared through the opening and into the sea of blackness.

"Unknown entities detected!" A Promethean Knight warned. Its voice was low, synthesised and almost devoid of humanity… almost.

"Bring up the display," John ordered.

Aft camera feed were projected onto the screens, showing sleek monstrosities gliding towards the _Supremacy_.

"Shit! That' a Reaper!" Joker yelled.

"Ugly bastard isn't it?" Zaeed growled.

Shepard's blood ran cold as an icy hand griped her heart.

_The Reapers are here_.

She felt _Supremacy_ shift beneath her, readjusting its position to face the cuttlefish shaped ships head on. There were six of them, moving on a pincer formation to engage the larger ship.

Emma got up from her chair and walked to the central display which showed ships status and real time battlemap. Guns extended from the _Supremacy_'s hull and swung to bear on their targets.

"Actions appear to be hostile, unknown are not attempting to communicate," a Promethean Knight manning the communications console said. For a supposed "mindless" machine, the Knight's appeared to display a level of self-initiative.

"Calculate targeting solutions for plasma torpedoes," the Spartan ordered calmly. This was clearly not his first spaceborne battle. Not by a longshot.

"Solution calculated."

Azure blue plasma began to collect and the turrets' ends, forming into a superdense bolt.

"Fire."

Bolts of blue, streaked through the black ocean towards their target. _Supremacy_ had greater range, and it was going to use it to great effect. The superdense gas splashed onto the kinetic barriers, overloading them instantly and boiling away at the ablative armour.

Suddenly in Shepard's eyes, the Reapers didn't seem so powerful anymore. But she still couldn't shake off the shock that they were here, in the galactic core. But then again it made sense for them to be here. It was a prime location to stage rapid attacks across the galaxy.

With Reapers both stationed in darkspace and the galactic centre no civilisation could stand a chance against a coordinated strike.

"Plasma coil cycling through next coils ready," the Peewo Knight said. Peewo was an abbreviation of Principle Weapons Officer.

"Prep hardlights," John commanded.

"Preparing."

Consoles and lights flashed on the _Supremacy_ model display. It was truly a sleek, streamlined ship, shaped like a Scottish Claymore, but with longer and wider wings.

"Hardlight weaponry ready."

"Fire."

Lances of solid cobalt slashed through the abyss in the blink of an eye. Their high frequency components bypassed the recharging Kinetic Barriers, and struck all six Reapers at their core. The ships superstructure collapsed as it twisted and turned under the stresses. Fireballs billowed out from the hold, blowing the hull out like cauliflower.

A second salvo of plasma torpedoes put an end to any resistance, striking deep within the Reaper ships. Emma watched the demonic vessels spew out molten metal as they tore themselves in apart.

"All threats neutralised."

Barely a few minutes had passed, and the night was quiet once more. Only silence filled the bay as no one believed what they saw. _Supremacy_, had taken out six Reapers, whom haven't done anything so much as spit in their general direction. The opening salvo was stun, second attack was beat down, and the third attack was execution.

"Holy shit," Jack commented. "That was fucking awesome."

"Damn," was all that came out of Jacob.

"Plot a course back to Earth," John ordered his _crew_.

"Acknowledge."

Emma knew instantly that she was about to witness a slipspace jump, probably the first one done in an untold amount of time. She turned her sights back on her crew, still slack jawed from the titanic display of power.

Emotions and views were probably varied, but for Shepard, she was numb. What could she think? What possible thought could her mind formulate about John? He was unnervingly human, but her short conversation with him revealed a shield of politeness mixed with cold impersonality. He was enigmatic at best, despite what Shepard had seen. She was sure her team felt the same way too. Joker and Miranda had made their protests clear, verbally and non-verbally respectively.

Legion seemed excited, well, as excited a geth could get. He was continually observing the Prometheans, even striking a conversation with one of them. Grunt seemed on edge, itching for a fight. Jacob an Jack were in awe, but they never distrusted the Spartan in the first place. The two were the polar opposites of people who one could have under their command. They were loyal to Emma 'till the very end, and never questioned her judgement. If she decided to give John the benefit of the doubt, so would they.

Zaeed however, looked like he couldn't care less. He had killed plenty of people, seen many things that would leave a man broken, but he was a special case, an outlier to the trend. Massani was hardened by what he went through, not once had Emma seen him even come close to breaking, sure he snapped, but that was in anger. He had never broken down, not even close.

Kasumi was a little bit more difficult to read with her ever present hood and jovial outlook on life. But Emma had the feeling that the Thief Master was _scared_. After all, she was used to dealing with the filthy rich, not the omnipotent overlords.

Samara and Garrus retained their air of calmness, though the turian was twitchier than the Justicar. His finger consistently hovered over the trigger of his Viper. Emma noted how the Librarian or the Spartan didn't comment on it.

Tali on the other hand seemed to be a bundle of nerves. The tech on this ship could improve quarian living standards exponentially. She rubbed her hands together as if she was trying to remove an immovable stain, and she shifted her weight from one foot to another. Emma knew Tali had come a long way since they first met, in terms of confidence. She was still shy by nature, but Shepard knew that when the Engineer worked up the courage, someone was going to be bombarded by questions. And that someone was probably the Spartan.

"We'll be back to Earth within the hour," he said.

"What?" Joker sputtered, coughing up his drink.

"Easy, Jeff!" Emma used his first name; she only did so when she got extremely worried for him. "Too much coughing and you might break a rib."

"Never mind that!" he groaned, "An hour? Seriously? An hour?"

"Shep, I think I might have a few loose screws."

"From all that coughing? No kidding," Emma deadpanned. That managed to earn a few chuckles and ease the tension in the air.

"Yes, an hour," the Librarian said. She looked at the Flight Lieutenant. "A brittle bone condition, curious, considering your level of evolution; however that can easily be rectified. If you could please follow me to the medical wing."

"Hey, hold on. What are the chances that what we just saw wasn't real, and this is a sick way to kill me!"

Joker's paranoia was justifiable, but it was getting on Emma's last nerve. She consciously made an effort not to berate him; after all, if it wasn't for the suicidal mission, she'd probably be backing him up.

"Jeff, just let the Librarian fix you up okay?"

"How about, when the _Normandy_'s fixed, and when we get back to Earth, then I'll get some medical attention," Joker said with an annoyed and sarcastic tone.

"So be it," John said. "Repairs for the _Normandy_ are almost complete."

"As a sign of trust, and a gesture of good will," the Librarian began in a soft tone, "we have improved various functions."

"Uh… thanks," Shepard said, slightly taken back.

A small part of her was slightly suspicious. Superhuman soldier with the command of a powerful mechanised army and a majestic ship, whom have been kept in suspended animation for countless eons, it all sounded a bit too… _much_.

But that was the reality of things, deal with it and move on.

**XXxxXX**

"_Our results with biotics have always been… less than satisfactory. We've attempted changing the host's DNA, but no dice. But we have tried cybnertics to mimic biotic abilities, and that's a go."  
__**-LTCOL Doctor Essingdon Dominc Keyes, to his cousin, Doctor Amanda Thorkais, discussing biotics.**_

**XXxxXX**

******A/N: Well, what do you think? Please review, I live off it... kinda.**

**Till next time**

**Bye**


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